Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), the first major and only riverine port in the country, has fixed a tonnage target of 65 mt, in which the share of iron ore, finished steel products and coal would be around 30-35 mt, and a 10 percent growth in revenues for the current fiscal after registering a 13 percent tonnage growth in the last fiscal. The port is further poised to serve the entire trade hinterland of the eastern and north-eastern part of the country through an additional capacity in the form of the Tajpur Port, the consultancy work for which has already started rolling. Madhumita Mookerji and Tamajit Pain caught up with Vinit Kumar, the Chairman of KoPT, who says, the very fact that the port is registering 13 percent tonnage growth is proof enough that industrial growth in this region merits another port and that Kolkata Dock System (KDS) and Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) will not really be impacted. Excerpts from an interview:
What are the tonnage and revenue targets for the current fiscal for Kolkata Port Trust? How much did the port notch up in the previous fiscal?
We have done 15 percent more than in the previous fiscal in FY18. Traffic-wise, we are 13 percent more than in the previous year and we had the highest output in terms of tonnage at Kolkata Port Trust in the previous fiscal. In terms of tonnage, we handled 58.9 million tons (mt) while in the previous year, we had handled 52 mt. Our target for FY18 had been 55 mt.
Revenue-wise, we recorded revenues of ₹ 2,300 crore in FY18 which was a 15 percent growth over the previous fiscal of 2016-17. We overshot out target in FY18 by around 10 percent.
And in the current fiscal, we have fixed our tonnage target at 65 mt while revenuewise, we are targeting a 10 percent growth.
In this 65 mt of tonnage, what would be the share of coal, iron ore and finished steel products?
The share of coal, iron ore and finished steel products would be around 30-35 mt. And this target should be a growth of 15 percent over the previous fiscal. Which is good news, which means both the segments are improving.
What is the draft scenario like at present at both Kolkata Dock Systems (KDS) and Haldia Dock Complex (HDC)?
The draft level has improved. It is 8 metres at Haldia and 7.5 metres in Kolkata.
What is the status of the Sagar Port?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2018 من Steel Insights.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2018 من Steel Insights.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Steel's Net Zero mission
The country’s commitment to achieving Net Zero within a targeted timeframe will now propel its steel sector towards a sustainable future in line with global trends.
Fuel Price Hike, Supply Chain Disruption Hurt Festive Sales
Supply chain disruptions and fuel price hikes have hurt festive sales in a big way as most auto majors posted decline in sales in October.
Seaborne coking coal offers remain range-bound
Seaborne coking coal offers moved in a narrow range in October amid global supply tightness and healthy spot demand.
Global crude steel output down 8% in September
China manufactured 74 mt in September, fall of 21% y-o-y while India’s production went up by 7% to 10 mt.
MOIL embarks on expansion projects
“Even though our country is blessed with manganese ore reserves, we import 50% of the domestic requirement. We have to lower our import dependence and save precious foreign exchange.” Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, Steel Minister
Iron ore handled by major ports down 17% in H1
The 12 major Indian ports handled 27 mt of iron-ore during H1 of 2021, down by 17% from 33 mt recorded for the corresponding period of previous year.
Shrinking China output to boost India exports
“In the third quarter of 2021, the company actively responded to the pressure from external policies, such as production curtailment and dual control system on energy consumption and intensity, as well as coal resource shortage and surging prices.” Baoshan Iron and Steel Co Ltd
Indian Railways' iron-ore handling up 25% in H1
Indian Railways in April-September of 2021 (H1) transported 84 mt of iron ore, up by 25% over 67 mt during April-September 2020.
September crude steel production up 7.2% y-o-y
India’s crude steel production in September 2021 grew 7.2 percent to 9.547 million tons (mt) over September 2020 but was down by 3.2 percent from August 2021 output, provisional steel ministry data showed.
“Five enablers: way forward to sustainable cleaner steel”
Right and scalable technology, appropriate policy guidance by government, access to finance to fund transition, willingness of customers to pay for cleaner products and infrastructure for use of new technologies are the need of the hour for the sustainable and cleaner steel industry, according to Madhulika Sharma, Chief Corporate Sustainability, Tata Steel.